Luther and Dreams : Public Lecture, 4 December 2017
Public Lecture: Professor Lyndal Roper, Luther and Dreams, 4 December
Luther regularly labelled superstition, Catholic dogma, and the beliefs of the Turks and the Jews, as ‘dreams’. ‘Lauter somnia’, pure dreams, was one of his favourite insults, and he liked nothing better than to debunk them. Yet Luther was also fascinated by signs and portents, and though he often joked about dreams, he too noted important dreams. Dreams also happened to be recorded at key turning points of the Reformation, and they give rare insight into Luther’s deepest anxieties and feelings. Discussed collectively, Luther and his followers used dream interpretations to communicate concerns they did not discuss explicitly. This lecture explores how historians can make use of dreams to understand the subjectivity of people in the past.
This lecture marks the 1517–2017 quincentenary of the European Reformation, set in motion by Martin Luther in the German university town of Wittenberg. Information including abstract and bio can be found here: http://www.historyofemotions.org.au/events/luther-and-dreams/
Date/Time: Monday 4 December, 6.15–7.30pm.
Location: Room 153 (Forum Theatre), Level 1, Arts West North Wing, The University of Melbourne, Parkville.
Registration: http://alumni.online.unimelb.edu.au/lutheranddreams
Enquiries: [email protected]